vol. 4 pp. 141-144 new productsdownloads.hindawi.com/journals/jamc/1997/920290.pdf · solid,...

Journal of Automatic Chemistry, Vol. 19, No. 4 (July-August 1997) pp. 141-144

New products

Fast data acquisition from your PC

The new DA TAshuttle Express, a single-box data acquisition device, which allows highspeed measurements to be taken from a variety of transducers and sensors using a standardnotebook or desktop PC. The portable DATAshuttle Express incorporates transducerexcitation and simply plugs into a PC’s parallel port. Details from Adept Scientific, 6Business Centre West, Avenue One, Letchworth, Hefts SG6 2HB, UK. Tel.: 01462480O55.

Centrifugal Liquid Extraction (CLE)

The VectaSep CLE(R) Extraction device, recentlylaunched by Whatman International, has quickly estab-lished itself as a time and cost saving means of preparingaqueous clinical samples prior to chromatography orother analytical techniques. A good example of itseffectiveness is in the analysis of Ibuprofen in urine,where 95-100% extractions can be achieved when pres-ent at levels of 1-5 gg/ml. The ready-to-use VectaSepCLE@ is made from precision moulded, high puritypolypropylene; it is a disposable sample extraction deviceand has been created for use in 15 ml rotor cups withinstandard laboratory centrifuges. It comprises four parts:a tube with separate cap, a sample disperser with integralmicroporous dispersion membrane which forms the basisof the controlled centrifugal extraction process and aseparating cup.

Extraction of the Ibuprofen from urine is by a simpletwo-step process. The first step involves the controlledextrusion of a 500 gl urine sample, diluted to 1"5 ml with0"02 M phosphate buffered saline containing the internalstandard Flurbiprofen, from the sample disperserthrough the dispersion membrane into 8"5 ml of extrac-tion solvent (ethyl acetate). The extrusion requires just ashort 10 minute centrifuge spin, undertaken at 35 C and1500 g.

In the second stage, the sample disperser is replaced by a

separating cup. A second, 10 centrifuge spin locates thiscup at the solvent/sample junction, prior to the selectiveisolation of the Ibuprofen and the internal standard byevaporation to dryness under a light stream of oxygenfree nitrogen, at 50 C.

Finally, the extract is reconstituted in 70% acetonitrileand 30% 0"05 M phosphoric acid and injected onto a

0142-0453/97 $12"00 (C) 1997 Taylor & Francis Ltd 141

New products

Ibuprofen in Human Urine lpg/ml

0.400

O.OO0

a.ool 4.ool .ool s.oolTime, (rnin)

Ibuprolen in Human Urine 5pg/ml

mV

0.000

Chromatograms ofIbuprofen in human urine at two concentrationscompared with an internal standard of Flurbiprofen. Samplesprepared using VectaSep CLE.

PartiSphere C18 chromatography column. The analytescan then be detected using UV.

Details from Whatman International Ltd, Whatman House, StLeonard’s Road, 20/20 Maidstone, Kent ME16 OLS, UK. Tel.:01622 676670; fax: 01622 677011.

CFAs

The processing power of Bran + Luebbe’s CFA systems(continuous flow analysers) has been extended with theintroduction of a new software program: AACE forWindows 95. Designed by chemists specifically for CFAsystems, AACE manages the system via the controlinterface linking the analyser to the PC. Other Windowsapplications can run in the foreground or backgroundduring the analysis process. Windows 95’s pre-emptivemulti-tasking ensures that the analyser programs alwaysreceive the correct priority. In addition, it allows net-

working and two-way data transfer using the standardWindows 95 and Windows NT even during the analysiscycle. Future laboratory requirements have been takeninto consideration as Windows 95 enables two completelyindependent analysers with up to 16 separate channels tobe run, whilst larger installations can be controlled withWindows NT.

With AACE for Windows 95, users of Bran+LuebbeTrAAcs and AutoAnalyzers II instruments can runseveral different systems with a variety of samplerssimultaneously on the same PC, plus down-load and

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up-load data from and to the laboratory managementsystem.

For further information contact: Bran+ Luebbe Ltd, ScaldwellRoad, Brixworth, Northants NN6 9UD, UK. Tel.: 01604880751.

Zinc plating thickness on steel measurement

Oxford Instrument’s Industrial Analysis Group has re-cently been awarded a US patent for the technology of itsLab-X 3000, the benchtop EDXRF (Energy DispersiveX-ray Fluorescence) Spectrometer. This analyser has a

separate autosampler and uses Oxford’s Focus-5 tech-nology to increase sensitivity. It is capable of detectingelements from aluminium to uranium, from ppm to high%; but, it does not use radio-isotopes, hazardous chemi-cals or complex dilutions.

Several dedicated applications packages are also avail-able which cover common uses including the determina-tion of zinc plating thickness on steel. Samples areanalysed ’as is’, with little or no preparation; in this caseof 40mm diameter samples of the steel roll testing isusually complete in 60 s.

The autosampler allows for unattended operation forboth routine analysis of samples and restandardizationof a calibration line. Solid, liquid, and powder analysiscan be undertaken using Oxford sample holders, com-bined with the corresponding sample tray. A 12-position,removable sample tray, robotic arm for transfer ofsamples and associated electronics control module can

easily be operated by both lab and non-lab staff inquality control or research & development. The unit issituated on top of the Lab-X3000 and does not requireadditional benchspace. The resident Analytical SoftwarePackage, ASP3000, ensures full software control andsimplicity of use.

Details from Oxford Instruments’ Industrial Analysis Group at130A Baker Avenue Ext., Concord, MA 01742, tel.: 800 4474717 or 19/20 Nueld Way, Abingdon, Oxon 0X14 1TX, UK,tel.: 01235 532 123.

Environmental analysis using high resolutionEDXRF

Oxford Instruments’ Industrial Analysis Group’s EnergyDispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometer,the ED2000, offers rapid non-destructive analysis ofsolids, liquids, powders, and slurries for up to 50 ele-ments, with full composition of the sample available inminutes. The analyser offers a suitable alternative to AAor ICP for environmental analysis applications, includingthe measurement of toxic heavy metals and halogens inliquid hazardous waste; trace elements in soil andrecycled materials, such as electronic/plastic waste; andpetrochemical .catalysts.

Developed in conjunction with users in the waste in-dustry, the QuickSolve package from Oxford simplifiesthe analysis of liquid hazardous waste and meets thenew ASTM method 6052. It allows rapid measurment of

New products

samples such as aqueous or organic solvents, sewagesludge, oil and water mixes etc., using one calibrationline. Soil analysis is carried out with equal ease anddetection limits of sub-ppm for trace heavy metals suchas cadmium are achieved. Detection limits for themajority of transition elements are below 10ppm, forexample, with chlorine from waste oils down to a fewppm. System operation is controlled by XpertEase,Oxford’s XRF WindowTM software, which incorporatesthe pre-loaded methods. Qualitative, semi-quantitative,and full quantitative analysis techniques are all included,plus an ’unknowns’ facility, which gives rapid elementalcomposition of samples with the results presented in a

powerful graphical display. The software also allows adatabase of results to be compiled, which can be used forfuture comparative work and report generation. Ease ofuse and total flexibility are ensured. The analyser offersexceptional results and total flexibility to cope withchanging requirements in quality control, developmentand investigative problems.

Details from Oxford Instruments (see above).

X-ray fluorescence analysis of petroleumproducts

The MDX1000 uses a new technique in X-ray fluores-cence-multi-dispersive XRF. The technique combinesthe benefits of the classical techniques of EDXRF andWDXRF to allow high performance, simultaneousmeasurement to be made on both low and high atomicnumber elements.

Oxford Instruments’ MDX1000 is a fully integratedspectrometer which was designed with the industrial userin mind. It can be located either in a laboratory or closeto the process to be controlled. The spectrometer’sdetection system allows simultaneous measurements tobe made over a wide concentration range, from highpercentage to ppm levels in a variety of sample types.-including liquids, solids, granules, powders and pastes.

Dedicated applications packages, including ones de-signed for routine analysis of sulphur in oil to ASTMD2622; lead in petrol to ASTM D5059; nickel andvanadium in fuel oils; and magnesium, potassium, sul-phur, chlorine, calcium, barium and zinc in lubricatingoils are available. Additional applications packagesdesigned for analysis of minerals, limestone, cement, glassand silica sand, and polymers are also available.

More information from Oxford Instruments (see above).

Free spectra and chromatographic data viewer

The Galactic Data Viewer is a tool for viewing anddisplaying spectra and chromatographic data in thepopular Galactic SPC format. It supports zooming,autoscaling, viewing single subfiles in a multifile, andcopying images to the clipboard. The program, whichruns under Windows 95 or Windows NT4"0, is providedfree of charge and can be down loaded from the Galacticweb site--http://www.galactic.com.

A beta test copy of an enhanced version of the GalacticData Viewer is also available on the web site. In additionto the features of the standard viewer, the enhancedversion supports OLE linking and embedding. ThisOLE compliant server application allows users to copyand embed spectral traces or chromatograms into anyOLE compliant application and view/zoom the data inplace. The enhanced version is available for free trial useand the final version will be available for a nominalcharge.

Veterinary drug residue analysis

LC-MS Analyses of Veterinary Drug Residues using a Bench-Top Mass Detector describes methods of drug residue LC-MS analysis using atmospheric pressure chemical ioniza-tion (aPcl) and electrospray (ES).

Antibiotics and anthelmintics are amongst the widerange of veterinary products used to treat farm animalsduring outbreaks of disease or as a preventative measurewhen modern intensive practices are used. To reduce anypossibility of harmful levels of such compounds reachingthe human food chain, Maximum Residue Limits(MRLs) have been set up by the EU and many othercountries, and are policed by regulatory bodies. Othergrowth-promoting drugs, including anabolic steroids,thyreostats and /3-agonists, may be administered byfarmers as a means of attracting carcass premiums whenanimals are presented for slaughter. Use of these sub-stances to promote growth is banned within the EU, aban which also requires policing. Thus, laboratory test-

ing of food products must ensure that all regulations aremet. For many of these compounds there is a wide rangeof available screening tests. However, for regulatorypurposes, more sophisticated procedures are needed toconfirm positive results from these tests. The recommen-dation is that confirmatory analyses should use massspectrometry (MS) wherever possible. Many of thecompounds are suited to gas chromatograph (GC)-MS,although some are difficult to analyse by this method, inwhich case liquid chromatography (LC)-MS may offer amore suitable alternative.

With many years of experience in determining drugresidues using LC-MS, Micromass initially began work-ing with Thermospray (TSP) techniques and morerecently, moved on to APcl and ES. Methods developedusing TSP have generally been found to perform betterthan APcl.

Micromass can be contacted at Floats Road, Wythenshawe,Manchester, M23 9LZ, UK. Tel.: 0161 945 4170; fax: 0161998 8195; Internet: http: //www.micromass.co.uk.

Energy-saving processor

At just 10 x 15 x 7 cm, the compact VacuProcessor iscompact and simple to instal and was designed for use inprocess industries employing vacuum technology. Manymulti-suction cup systems can be over dimensioned as

designers try to compensate for leakages caused by pooror non-attachment of suction cups. In most cases, this is

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New products

dealt with by increasing the underlying vacuum. As a

result, systems often become complex and expensive aspumps are added to meet vacuum requirements. Avail-able in two versions, electronically (MCE 4-001) andpneumatically (MCP 4-R) regulated, the VacuProcessorwas designed to solve these problems and a single unitcan control up to four channels. Each channel has its ownpre-set vacuum guard connected to a control valve. Inthe event of a leakage, the unit automatically switches offthe corresponding valve.

In the electronically regulated version, suction cupoperation can be defined to meet complex handlingrequirements. In simple terms, should only three cupsbe needed, then the fourth is switched off. In systemswhere more than four suction cups are required, anumber of VacuProcessors can be connected to create amulti-cup system.

Further energy savings are possible by installing theVacuProcessor together with an ES-08/1 or ES-25/1energy saver system. This is a simple, dial controlled unitwhich maintains a stable vacuum without the need toconstantly run the pump which is only switched on whenthe vacuum drops below a pre-set level.

Details from International News Service--INS AB, S-131 84Stockholm, Sweden. Tel.: 46 8 601 O0 O0;fax 46 8 718 45 90. E-mail: webmaster@ ins.se.

Preservation of the science base

Sir Aaron Klug O.M., president of the Royal Society,considers the primary role of the Society to be ’preservingthe health of the science base at a time when theprevailing philosophy, not only in the UK, is that publicsector activities should be subjected to market forces,which would see to it that sound policies emerge’. Inhis presidential address at the end of 1996, he highlightedthe Society’s capability to provide independent, author-itative advice, notably to government, on science andengineering-related matters, and to inform public debate.

The Royal Society has, for example, been important in’getting to grips with the problem of BSE When theBSE/CJD crisis broke in March 1996, the Society wasable to harness a formidable group of Fellows and outsideexperts on all aspects of the problem. This group metagain in June 1996 when there were indications that BSEmight have been passed on to sheep. The Societyproduced a series of clear and significant statements,steering clear of political sensitivities, which we circulatedwidely and which helped to explain the situation. TheBSE Group has been kept in being since there are nowfurther developments, particularly recent biochemical

evidence that the new variant form of CJD is related toBSE’.

Another major task for the Society is considering theConservative Government’s Prior Options Review pro-cess for the possible privatization of public sector researchestablishments in the UK: ’43 establishments are underreview and the exercise is being conducted in whatappears to be unseemly haste. Logically there are verygood reasons for examining the mission of a PSRE, and incertain areas, and for certain institutes, privatization maybe the right solution. But it is very evident that thisrepeated examination is doing damage in terms ofproductivity and morale. Indeed, the sensible way to

proceed would be for all PSRE’s to be subject to periodicexternal reviews (say every five years) of the type carriedout by Research Councils who use visiting committees,which include international experts where necessary’. Hestressed the importance of basic and strategic researchand research which is essential to underpin the statutory,policy and regulatory functions of government, such asthat conducted in the Toxicology Unit of the MedicalResearch Council or in the Public Health LaboratoryService. He said that research is also needed to underpinother functions of government, such as defence andhealth--a long-term need to build up expertise in readi-ness for unexpected developments.

’Basic research can ultimately yield extraordinary returnsto society, but it is difficult to estimate its benefitsquantitatively since its results may be used in manydirections. Moreover there is often a significant delaybetween the dissemination of fundamental knowledgeand its eventual effect on industrial processes. Basicinvestment must be made many years ahead and theinvestment must be not only in institutions but above allin people, in human resources. Research may be initiatedin programmes and by committees, but it takes place inthe brains and hands of individuals’.

The discovery of a new form of carbon, closed sphericalcages of carbon atoms called fullerenes, made by a RoyalSociety Research Professor, Sir Harry Kroto, F.R.S., andtwo American colleagues, arose from ’as unlikely a

quarter as one could imagine, namely Kroto’s researchto investigate compounds of carbon in interstellar space’.This has led to further discoveries with new possibilitiesfor superconducting materials. The discovery was alsorecognized this year by the award of the Nobel Prize forChemistry.

A copy of Sir Aaron’s full speech is available from the Press &Public Relations Unit, The Royal Society, London SW17 5AG.Tel.: 0171 451 2516/7.

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